Brisbane Roar are delighted to announce the return of fan favourite Riku Danzaki from J1 League side Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo.
The Roar have secured Danzaki on an initial six-month loan deal with a view to signing the 22-year-old permanently.
An excitement machine throughout his first stint with the club, he topped the team’s scoring charts with nine goals during a highly successful 2020/21 season.
Danzaki returned to Sapporo at the conclusion of that campaign before joining JEF United Chiba on loan, but now has the opportunity to develop his legacy in Brisbane.
The 22-year-old said he was hoping to go above and beyond the achievements of his previous spell in orange.
“I’m very happy to be coming back to Brisbane Roar,” Danzaki said.
“I’m looking forward to working hard and giving everything for the team.”
Head Coach Warren Moon welcomed the return of the attacking midfielder, who becomes his second off-season recruit following the arrival of striker Charlie Austin.
“We know what impact Riku had for Brisbane in his first season so we were always keen to bring him back,” Moon said.
“I know he had a great time here and loved the city and the fans.
“We hoped to keep him then but that was out of our control. He wanted to go back to Japan to get married which we respected.
“We’re excited that he is returning to us now to be part of what we are building. It’s worked out really well.”
Danzaki will arrive in Australia early next week and will be available for selection for Thursday’s Queensland Champions Cup opener against Leeds United at Cbus Super Stadium.
